16:28 An-Nahl (The Bee)

ثم يوم القيامة يفضحهم الله بالعذاب ويذلُّهم به، ويقول: أين شركائي من الآلهة التي عبدتموها من دوني؛ ليدفعوا عنكم العذاب، وقد كنتم تحاربون الأنبياء والمؤمنين وتعادونهم لأجلهم؟ قال العلماء الربانيون: إن الذل في هذا اليوم والعذاب على الكافرين بالله ورسله، الذين تقبض الملائكة أرواحهم في حال ظلمهم لأنفسهم بالكفر، فاستسْلَموا لأمر الله حين رأوا الموت، وأنكروا ما كانوا يعبدون من دون الله، وقالوا: ما كنا نعمل شيئًا من المعاصي، فيقال لهم: كَذَبْتم، قد كنتم تعملونها، إن الله عليم بأعمالكم كلها، وسيجازيكم عليها.

{ الَّذِينَ تَتَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ ْ} أي: تتوفاهم في هذه الحال التي كثر فيها ظلمهم وغيهم وقد علم ما يلقى الظلمة في ذلك المقام من أنواع العذاب والخزي والإهانة. { فَأَلْقَوُا السَّلَمَ ْ} أي: استسلموا وأنكروا ما كانوا يعبدونهم من دون الله وقالوا: { مَا كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ مِنْ سُوءٍ ْ} فيقال لهم: { بَلَى ْ} كنتم تعملون السوء فـ { إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ْ} فلا يفيدكم الجحود شيئا، وهذا في بعض مواقف القيامة ينكرون ما كانوا عليه في الدنيا ظنا أنه ينفعهم، فإذا شهدت عليهم جوارحهم وتبين ما كانوا عليه أقروا واعترفوا، ولهذا لا يدخلون النار حتى يعترفوا بذنوبهم.

يخبر تعالى عن حال المشركين الظالمي أنفسهم عند احتضارهم ومجيء الملائكة إليهم لقبض أرواحهم الخبيثة "فألقوا السلم" أي أظهروا السمع والطاعة والانقياد قائلين "ما كنا نعمل من سوء" كما يقولون يوم المعاد "والله ربنا ما كنا مشركين"" يوم يبعثهم الله جميعا فيحلفون له كما يحلفون لكم "قال الله مكذبا لهم في قيلهم ذلك "بلى إن الله عليم بما كنتم تعملون فادخلوا أبواب جهنم خالدين فيها فلبئس مثوى المتكبرين".

those whom the angels take in death read feminine person tatawaffāhum or masculine yatawaffāhum while they are wronging themselves’ through disbelief. Then they will offer submission becoming compliant and submitting themselves to belief in God upon death saying ‘We were not doing any evil’ any associating others with God whereat the angels say ‘Nay! Surely God is Knower of what you used to do’ and will requite you for it.

Commentary

It will be recalled that, after describing the blessings of Allah and proving that He was unique in the creation of the universe, the text made a pointed reference to how the polytheists chose to stick to their own ways of error. In the present verses, the text describes how they, not content with their own straying, tried that others should also go astray like them. The punishment they would get for doing that has also been stated here. Earlier to that (24), there is a question about the Qur’ an, and the addressees of the question, at this place, are the polytheists. It is their haughty and ignorant answer which has been mentioned here along with a warning of consequences for this attitude. Then, after five verses (30), the same question has been addressed to believers who fear Allah which is followed by their answer, and where a promise of reward for it has been mentioned.

The Holy Qur'an does not explicitly say as to who asked the question. Therefore, commentators have expressed different views in this matter. Some say that the question was asked by disbelievers. Others say that it was asked by Muslims. Still others take one question to have been asked by the polytheists while the other by Muslims. But, the Holy Qur’ an has kept it ambiguous. This is to indicate that there is no need to are as to where the question came from. What has to be seen is the answer and, more importantly, its ultimate consequence - which, the Qur’ an has it-self chosen to describe.

The essence of the answer given by the polytheists is that they simply refused to acknowledge that there was any word of Allah really revealed from Him. In fact, they dismissed the Qur'an as nothing but tales of people from early ages. Thereupon, the Qur’ an admonished those unjust people for disinforming people about the Qur'an by telling them that it was nothing but the tales of the ancient whereby they make others too go astray like them. As for the consequences, these they shall have to face. It means that the total curse of their sins has to fall on them anyway on the Day of Judgment, but part of the curse of the evil consequences of their role in misguiding others will also fall on them. Then it was said that the burden of sins which these people are piling up on their shoulders is a terribly evil burden.